Salisbury eliminates LaGrange in NCAA First Round
SALISBURY, Md. - The second-seed Salisbury University softball team stave off elimination in the 2009 NCAA Division III first-round tournament with a 3-1 victory over sixth-seed LaGrange College on Friday at the SU Softball Complex.
Salisbury (35-5), ranked No. 11 in the nation, will next turn around and play either third-seed Emory University or seventh-seed Neumann College in another elimination game this afternoon at 5 p.m.
The Sea Gulls were led offensively by junior outfielder Jen Cahall (2-for-3, one run, one RBI) who collected two of SU's five hits. Cahall drove in Salisbury's first run of the game in the second inning with a RBI-single to left field to plate SU pitcher Kelsey Mills and tie the game at 1-1. Senior outfielder Meaghan O'Gara, the Capital Athletic Conference Player of the Year, followed with a sacrifice fly that scored sophomore third baseman Kristin Lord.
Mills (14-2) held the Panthers (25-21) scoreless the rest of the game after LaGrange manufactured a run in the bottom of the first inning. Mills pitched the complete game where she surrendered one run on three hits, walked four and struck out five.
SU tacked on an insurance run in the top of the fifth inning when Cahall scored off a RBI-single by junior Brittany Lounge.
LaGrange pitcher Kristen Woodard (10-2) suffered the loss as she pitched five innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and walked and struck out none.
In the first game of the day, top-seed Lynchburg College (37-7-1) was upended by fourth-seed Bridgewater (Va.) College (34-10). The Eagles stun the Hornets with the 2-1 setback. Lynchburg will face fifth-seed Christopher Newport University (36-7) in the seventh game of the regional on Friday afternoon.
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